


Ice Cream Sunday

by PalestAzure



Series: Ethan Ramsey, Dad Extraordinaire [7]
Category: Open Heart (Visual Novels)
Genre: Deaf Character, F/M, Family Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Parent-Child Relationship, parenting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-17
Updated: 2020-10-17
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:26:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27058693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PalestAzure/pseuds/PalestAzure
Summary: A Sunday family outing calls for some ice cream on a hot summer day. What could possibly go wrong?
Relationships: Ethan Ramsey/Main Character (Open Heart)
Series: Ethan Ramsey, Dad Extraordinaire [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1815364
Comments: 2
Kudos: 15





	Ice Cream Sunday

The sun was high in the sky, acting as a signpost to guide people to one specific destination. The Boston summers always brought large crowds to Boston Commons, the city’s large public park. This was especially true on Sundays. This day was usually Ethan and Zyra’s day off, and they brought their kids there on nice days. There was always the possibility that one or both of them may be called in to the hospital in case there was a new intake for the diagnostics team. So far, the day proved to sway more towards their family time.

After passing by some local vendors, Jocelyn immediately saw a new ice cream one. She begged her parents, specifically pulling on her dad’s arm.

“It’s actually a great day for some,” Zyra agreed with her daughter. 

They split up. Zyra took their 13-month-old son, Aidan, to find a spot to relax under the cool shade of a tree. Ethan and Joss were on ice cream duty.

Jocelyn pressed her face and palms against the glass. The crystal blue of her eyes reflected the different colors of ice cream in front of her. There were the traditional vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry. But her eyes widened at flavors she’d never heard of before. Birthday Cake. Blueberry Cheesecake. Banana Pudding.

Ethan placed his large hand on her small shoulder and gently pulled her back. He folded his arms against his chest.

“I know you’re excited, Jocelyn Dolores, but don’t do that,” he scolded firmly. 

She dropped her head and pouted as they continued waiting in line. But she would lift her head at times to peek at the ice cream flavors. As soon as they were next to order, Joss reached up to grip her dad’s long fingers caught between his torso and his arm. Ethan dropped his arm to fully enclose his hand around his daughter’s, holding it tenderly. Joss’s pouty expression lifted, and she pointed to a creamy, light brown flavor. 

“What’s that one?” she asked innocently.

“Cappuccino. It’s coffee. You wouldn’t like it,” Ethan responded. 

Joss repeated the pronunciation while trying to read the tag. “Why are there two _C’_ s instead of a _CH_?” she asked her dad. Her head tilted to the side, as she looked up at him with a glint of sincere curiosity in her eyes.

Ethan smiled at her question. Sometimes he felt like he was looking in a mirror. His daughter held his same curiosity about the world as he did at her age, always asking questions about everything. And her questions were thoughtful and insightful. 

“It’s Italian. There’s an _I_ after the two _C_ s, so it’s pronounced like _CH_.”

“That’s a smart little girl you got there,” the vendor said, breaking the father-daughter moment. 

Joss giggled and clung more closely to her dad. “Thanks! I’m like my daddy. He’s a big, smart doctor.”

Ethan felt heat travel across his cheeks. He then cleared his throat. “Do you know what you want?” he asked his daughter.

“Yeah!” She looked up at the vendor, but never let go of her dad’s hand. “Birthday Cake in a cone, please.”

“And so polite, too,” the man warmly smiled and then turned to Ethan. “And how about for yourself, doctor?”

“Chocolate in a medium cup.” 

Joss groaned, nearly sounding like her mother. “That’s soooooo boring, daddy.” She let go of his hand and tapped against the glass. “Get the chocolate brownie one! Mommy might like that.”

“I’m more risk-averse than you, sweetheart, but…” Ethan rubbed his bearded chin as he considered his daughter’s suggestion. He and Zyra had agreed on sharing the afternoon treat. She was more in favor of fruity flavors, but the brownie one may be an appropriate compromise, he rationalized. Ethan changed his order to the approval of Joss. 

After receiving their ice creams, they walked in the direction of the other half of their family. Joss trailed behind her dad, taking slow, careful steps across the grass. Her cone was so large she had to hold it in both hands. The cone was topped off with a colorful scoop of ice cream, which hid her entire mouth behind it. 

“Daddy?” Ethan turned around. “Can I ride on your shoulders?”

“Need some help, I see.” Ethan chuckled.

Ethan looked back and saw their destination wasn’t too far off. He knelt down, placed his cup on the ground, and then lifted Joss up onto his shoulders. He strained a bit under her weight until his daughter adjusted against him. He felt her arms settle on top of his head.

“I think you’re getting a bit too big for this.” 

“No way! You’re the strongest person in the whole world.”

The way his legs slightly wobbled under him and the way his lower back and shoulders burned as he stood provided evidence to refute his daughter’s statement. But each step he took gradually grew easier, and soon he felt like he did when he first began carrying his daughter on his shoulders. 

They approached Zyra, who was sitting cross-legged on a bright yellow blanket with Aidan in her lap. 

“We come bearing gifts,” Ethan handed the chocolate brownie ice cream to Zyra. He then lowered himself onto his knees and paid attention to Aidan, who was focused on his dad. “Are you hungry?” Ethan asked his son while simultaneously signing in ASL.

“Only a small bite,” Zyra said and signed. 

“Look what I got!” Joss, who was still sitting on top of her dad’s shoulders, got a bit too excited. Right as she said the word _got_ , Ethan felt something cold plop onto his head. The ice cream had already been melting, but now he felt it slowly travel down his forehead.

Aidan made the sign for “Oops” and everyone, even Ethan, burst out laughing. 

“That’s right. Oops,” Zyra said and signed to her son, whose cheerful smile matched his mother’s. 


End file.
